Press Release

Endorsement of Monica Moriak for president, legal action against Baqir

April 4, 2025

Every year, the board reorganizes in July as required by law.  For the past two years, Christina School Board has elected Donald Patton for board president, and for the past two years, the district has been in chaos, has been the subject of statewide ridicule, and has done nothing to address the issues with student outcomes in the district.

We cannot afford to do this all over again.  The children cannot afford to lose another year of progress to this board's chaos.

Today, I officially endorse Monica Moriak for president of Christina School Board.  She has dedicated herself to equity in education, she has a vision for how the district can be the model for all the other districts in the state to emulate, and she understands the true roles and responsibilities of the board.  Under Monica Moriak's leadership, the board will be a force for good, and it will dedicate itself to improving the outcomes for our students.

However, we cannot merely wait until July and hope that the board agrees that the future that Monica Moriak offers is brighter than Donald Patton's continued chaos.  Over the past year, I have raised concerns about Naveed Baqir's very obvious lack of residency.  We know, for a fact, that he has not set foot in these United States of America in over 14 months.  When I started raising concerns last year, he had only been gone for a majority of the year.  The law declares that when a board member ceases to be a resident, then his seat becomes vacant, and it is the district's job to notify the Department of Elections of such a vacancy.  Until now, the district has refused to do so.  However, it has now been over a full year, and various provisions of Delaware law consider residency abandoned after 12 months.  The law is quite clear: Naveed Baqir is not a resident of Christina School District, and is no longer a member of its board.

To that end, I am filing a complaint in the Court of Chancery seeking a permanent injunction on Baqir and declaratory judgment on his residency.  I am also filing a complaint with Christina School District itself, demanding that the district follow its policy and Delaware law and send the vacancy notice to the Department of Education.  I cannot stand by and allow Baqir to use his illegal vote to drive this district into the ground.  The people of this district deserve better.  The students in our schools deserve better.

There is new legislation coming out of the General Assembly (such as HB82 and HB83) designed specifically to prevent this kind of situation and remedy it, but this legislation is taking too long, and I cannot gamble the future of our students on the House and Senate passing this legislation before Baqir can make any more terrible votes.